Life is strange… and beautiful

I prefer to spend my holidays alone in my room. This has its drawbacks, but it also allows me to make some time for books, movies, etc. Losing oneself in others’ imaginations is quite enriching in my opinion.

I decided to try out Life is Strange during this short term break, a game about time travel gone wrong. The story itself is nothing new; it contains the same old message: don’t mess with time unless you’re a Time Lord. But the execution… damn! I was blown away by the way lighting and music were used to create a surreal world, that too, without intense graphics.

I must say I’m really impressed how far the gaming industry has come in such a short time. It’s sad to know that a majority of the population didn’t follow the journey and are unlikely to appreciate the evolution that took place right under their noses. It’s high time we started considering games as serious art, at par with novels, films and music. A piece of code that lets you experience a virtual reality is nothing short of a miracle.

Gaming has an incredible potential as a form of visual storytelling (I used to think the same about anime too, but it got taken over by fetishes and stereotypes). Unlike real movies, there are no real constraints on camera movement and settings. The creators are free to pursue themes and styles that are beyond the reach of film directors. The possibilities are endless and the only limits are the limits of imagination.